How to stop scam phone calls

[#1]

I suspect there is no simple answer, but...
Does anyone know how to stop scam calls, short of cutting my phone line? I've done the usual registering with TPS and taking the usual common sense precautions with personal data but I keep getting calls from weird non-geographic numbers. The callers, always young male, have heavy Indian accents & Indian syntax in their speech, ask for the previous resident by name (who moved away 10+ years ago) and tries to make me believe he is calling from some generic "UK cyber security department in London" or some similar tosh and that there is some mythical hacking into my internet. I assume they think I'm stupid & gullible enough to let them talk me into runing some commands on my PC to give them access to my data, download some malware or whatever and then fleece me by taking a credit card number to pretend to repair some bogus problem.
Blocking numbers doesn't work when they use a different number each time or in some cases an unidentified number.
Any ideas?

[#2]

I have a phone with caller ID.
If I don't recognise the number, I don't answer it.
If it's important they'll find another way to contact me....and have in the past.

[#3]

Assuming you have Caller Display, get yourself the BT8500 phone. This has the ability to block up to 1000 numbers but also if somebody phones you that is not in your "accept" list then the phone answers the call (without ringing or bothering you) and the caller is asked for their name. Only after they give their name does the phone ring and you are then given the option to accept the call this time, always accept all calls from this number, block all calls from this number or send the call to answer machine. In my experience scam callers don't leave their name and therefore the call never gets through to you.

[#4]

Really one shouldn't have to buy that special phone, but I suppose if it's a big enough prob that might be your answer. Otherwise caller id, which is what we use. If we don't know the number we let it go to answerphone. If they don't want to use that then it can't be important. But even then we get some recorded messages from their automated systems. Grrr  . . .

[#5]

What I have done is to keep the answer phone on all the time, working after just 2 rings.  If it is friends or family, they know to keep saying 'hello' and if I'm in, I'll pick up.  If I'm not in, they can leave a message.  I am sure I am getting fewer nuisance calls since I decided to do this about three months ago.  Maybe they are realising I'm not going to answer and have struck me off their lists!

[#6]

not going to answer and have struck me off their lists! ===============Do not think you will get away that lightly, lol